


Too Many Worlds Apart

by verynotconcise



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 21:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13221672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verynotconcise/pseuds/verynotconcise
Summary: Thomas and Newt have a small talk





	Too Many Worlds Apart

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta-ed. i'm sorry i wrote this in half an hour ish it's 530am here but i had feels!! (& i love writing about what happens in between) 
> 
> & also i'm sorry for discrepancies cos it's been so long since i last read the books but i'm so hyped for tdc!!!
> 
> happy new year everyone!!! :^)

“Hey, Newt?”

“What is it, Tommy?”

Thomas hesitates, pursing his lips. The action makes Newt more curious, fully turning his head to get a good look at Thomas.

It’s just past sun down in the desert and the rest are making a small camp a distance away, comprising of blankets, bags and nothing else. There’s no fire, there’s not even enough food. Minho wasn’t even sure that they should be taking a rest, but Newt had insisted on it. Thomas and Minho were runners with good stamina, the rest were not.

“How’s your foot?” Thomas asks at last with a hint of uncertainty creeping into his voice. Newt raises a brow at him. He’s expected a lot of other questions from his friend, but this was not on that list of questions.

Newt raises his left foot experimentally, swinging it up and down. “It’s fine.”

“Are you sure? You should let us know when it starts to hurt, we could have stopped earlier if -”

“Tommy,” Newt interrupts firmly, placing a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder, “my leg is fine. It hurts as it always bloody does, but it’s still working. Besides, We have to get there before the other group does, and I’m not going to let myself be the reason that we don’t.”

Thomas deflates slightly, thoughts wandering to Teresa. He’s tried a few times to call Teresa, but it always feels like he was shouting into an abyss.

“Yeah.” Thomas murmurs, shrugging Newt’s hand off his shoulders as he faces away. Newt sighs, knowing that Teresa was still a sore topic of conversation for Thomas.

“We’re going to find her, you know.”

Thomas glances up at Newt with furrowed brows. “You didn’t like her.”

Newt shrugs casually, leaning back with his palms digging into the cool sand. The sky was already fading into black, and if they looked close enough they could even start to see white lights twinkling in the sky, a sight they’ve never seen before in the maze.

“I still don’t,” Newt says, “but I know that she’s important to you. That’s all I care about.”

Thomas looks down at their legs for a long moment, thinking hard about what to reply to Newt. In the end, he settles for a simple nod. The silence between them settles like the sand blown by the night breeze, it’s easy and natural. For some reason, Thomas has always felt this way around Newt. He’s never had to pretend to be okay, he’s never had to be anything but himself. Newt understands, Newt has always understood him from the get go.

Thomas looks up at Newt, watching the sky with a resigned smile. It’s a sad and hopeless look that he’s wearing, and it tears at Thomas’ heart to see that it’s Newt who looks that way.

“Tommy.” Newt says. Thomas makes a noise of acknowledgement. “When we are free from all of this, what do you want to do?”

Thomas blinks, taken by surprise by the choice of words. Contrary to Newt’s mood, his words were hopeful.

“I -” Thomas coughs, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “I think that I would like to get out of the sun.”

Newt laughs. “Too much sun down here for ya?”

“Yeah.” Thomas chuckles, “Maybe go somewhere with a lot of water too. Some plants would be nice.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a dream.” Newt nods slowly, brushing his hair off from his face and tucking it behind his ears. It’s only a second later that the wind blows it back to the front again, long strands whipping his cheeks.

“What about you?”

Newt sighs, long and tired. He draws his knees to his chest and takes a moment to think about the question. “I think that I would like to take a good rest.”

For a moment, Newt looks like he aged decades overnight, looking far ahead with his mind elsewhere. When Thomas blinks again, Newt is looking back at Thomas, holding his stare. It’s such a simple desire, but it feels like something achievable only in another lifetime. Somewhere far from here, far from their grasp.

Newt nudges Thomas lightly with his elbow, offering a small smile. “We’ll get her, get out of here and go to that water place of yours.”

It sounds like an impossible dream, but for a moment, Thomas believes Newt.


End file.
